Wednesday’s Olympics action features an intriguing mixture of basketball and handball for which the best sportsbooks have already released the odds.
I contend that you should make action on Puerto Rico vs. Serbia and USA vs. South Sudan in basketball, and France vs. Egypt in handball part of your Best Bets.
Basketball Picks
- Serbia -17.5 (-105)
- South Sudan-USA Over 190.5 (-110)
Handball Pick
- Egypt +3.5 (-106)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Puerto Rico vs. Serbia (Basketball)
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 – 11:15 AM ET at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Bogdan Bogdanovic
When South Sudan defeated Puerto Rico by eleven, South Sudan won despite its starting guards failing to shoot effectively from behind the arc.
Carlik Jones, for example, was 1-for-5 from deep.
When Serbia plays Puerto Rico on Wednesday, Puerto Rico’s perimeter defense is going to get a much tougher challenge in the form of Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Bogdanovic is a shooting guard who plays for the Atlanta Hawks. In the NBA this season, he averaged 16.9 points per game. He converted 37.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
One must expect Serbia’s guard play, led by Bogdanovic, to perform even more effectively than South Sudan’s guard play, which already had so much success against Puerto Rico despite its disappointing shooting output.
Besides Bogdanovic, look out for Ognjen Dobric, who was very efficient from deep for Bologna this season.
Nikola Jokic
Of course, Serbia also boasts strong inside scoring with Nikola Jokic, who just won his third MVP award in his last four NBA seasons. When South Sudan scored 90 points against Puerto Rico, it relied largely on its guard play.
I am imagining here, with Serbia, a team with better guard play than what South Sudan has to offer plus the superstar Jokic. Jokic makes his living in the NBA largely by being a scoring and passing menace inside the arc.
Serbia, in sum, is going to blow out Puerto Rico, especially as the Serbs need to win after they lost their group stage opener.
Basketball Pick: Serbia -17.5 (-105) at Bet365
South Sudan vs. USA (Basketball)
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 – 03:00 PM ET at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
What Jose Alvarado Did to South Sudan
When South Sudan played Puerto Rico in their group stage opener, Puerto Rico scored 79 points. Puerto Rico relied heavily on 26 points from its point guard Jose Alvarado.
26 points is a massive scoring total. Consider that, in the NBA this season, Alvarado averaged 19 fewer points per game.
Another way of stating my point is that the Americans have way better guard play to offer than Puerto Rico does in the form of a guy like Alvarado who doesn’t even start for his team.
Team USA’s Scoring Prowess
The Americans are going to be much too much to handle for South Sudan’s perimeter defense.
Jayson Tatum is hungry to play. The Celtics star will be one star among many to overwhelm South Sudan’s talent-lacking group.
In terms of great scoring guards, look out for the dynamic Anthony Edwards, who shows comfort alongside more experienced NBA legend, and Suns star Devin Booker. Both guys are deservedly household NBA names.
With these guys, and with Kevin Durant – who scored 23 points against Serbia after not playing against South Sudan – the Americans will amass a tremendous scoring total.
South Sudan’s Scoring Threat
South Sudan showed some nice flash on offense both when it scored 90 points against Puerto Rico and 100 points against Team USA.
The Americans should be playing with a big lead, so it will also be able to relax on defense.
Carlik Jones, for South Sudan, is clearly in top form, as he’s difficult for defenders to stop even when his long-distance shooting is a bit off.
Basketball Pick: Over 190.5 (-110) at Bet365
France vs. Egypt (Handball)
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 – 01:00 PM ET at South Paris Arena 6
Fade France
France came into this tournament with such high expectations. These expectations explain why oddsmakers have given the French such respect. Oddsmakers are slow to adjust their odds, and we’re seeing now that they should adjust their odds by a significant amount when it comes to the French.
If it wasn’t already clear when they lost handily to Denmark, the French are in terrible form. They were supposed to bounce back from their opening loss, but they lost to Norway by a clear margin.
It must be clear to us that we should fade France, especially when it is favored.
Egypt Has No Such Problems
Egypt is building a strong reputation for itself in Olympic play, based on its recent historical performances.
The Egyptians have no such problems with form that France does. After beating Hungary in their opener, the Egyptians used a strong second half to remain competitive against the elite Danes.
I get why France is favored – because oddsmakers are relying on what are now antiquated expectations for them – but Egypt really should be favored at the moment.
Handball Pick: Egypt +3.5 (-106) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
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